Tom Harris is the Labour MP for Glasgow South. 'Cross Party', his radio sitcom about the MPs' expenses scandal can be downloaded here.

This parliament is no more. It has ceased to be. It has expired and gone to meet its maker, it has shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible! This is an ex-parliament. Et cetera…

The signs are all there: think of legislation as the lifeblood of a parliament, and votes on said legislation as its pulse. On these terms, the attending doctor has already pulled the blanket over its face, shaken his head mournfully and left the relatives to seek comfort in each other's arms. A memorial service is planned.

For there were no votes in the Commons last Monday. There was none the previous Monday either. And there won't be any next Monday. There hasn't been a whipped vote on a Thursday for months.